Luca (2021)

 

An Italian fish out of water tale from Pixar. The animation is very pretty. Fun viewing for the family. 

Rating: C+

Kid 90 (2021)

 

A documentary of Jennifer Soliel’s life comprised of archive footage and diary excerpts she herself recorded. I grew up watching Punky Brewster, so it was fun getting a glimpse behind the camera of child stars in the 90s. I could see a lot of similarities to Miley Cyrus and other kids who grew up in front of the camera that came after her. An interesting, and sometimes dark, walk down memory lane. 

Rating: C+

Palmer (2021)

Fisher Stevens hits the perfect sweet spot between heartwarming and tragic. A meaty role for Timberlake. One of my favorites so far for 2021. 

Rating: B

Derek DelGaudio's In & Of Itself (2020)

 

The theatrical version of Derek’s stage show, which wowed audiences with illusions, storytelling, and, let’s be honest, a lot of emotional manipulation. The editing and the pace felt odd. Long pauses, clicks, and other bits that seemed out of place. 

Where the show excels is with the non-illusionary pieces; genuine reactions from audience members who are feeling seen and heard. And even you, the viewer, will share those same feelings as you watch the movie. It will leave you puzzling out how everything was pulled off. 

Rating: C+

Army Of The Dead (2021)

 

Reanimated leftovers from a genre that doesn’t have much left to give. A team was assembled one by one, then later eaten one by one. No one to really root for or miss after they died. Empty calories. 

Rating: C-

Riders Of Justice (Retfærdighedens Ryttere) (2021)

 

I’ll watch anything Mads Mikkelsen is in. But even if you aren’t as fanatical of a fan as I am, you should still go out of your way to see this quirky Danish revenge flick. There are a lot of layers that go beyond the killing, and that’s what makes it special. 

Rating: B+

The Paper Tigers (2020)

 

Taking a page from the success of Cobra Kai, Paper Tigers delivers a bland Kung Fu version. It’s watery tofu from Costco. 

Rating: C-

Wrath Of Man (2021)

 

Guy Ritchie’s latest shoot 'em up. More than your usual money truck heist flick. There are a lot of moving parts, but eventually all is explained. Quite violent. 

Rating: C+

Raya And The Last Dragon (2021)

 

Goofy dragons with special powers spend their lives helping the citizens of a Disney fantasy world be kind to one another. It’s not as bad as it sounds. 

Rating: C

Guns Akimbo (2019)

 

The setup to this film is completely nuts. I’ve seen my share of death-video-games-come-to-life movies; maybe all of them. But none where the unwitting victim (hero?) has a set of machine pistols brutally attached to his wrist and hands. 

My first thought was “How is this kid going to pee?” Well, it didn’t take long for them to answer that question. How does he get pants on? Check! Eat? Check! I like when movies address the little things. 

The name of the game is kill or be killed. As you might imagine, a lot of bodies hit the floor. It’s aggressively violent to the point where it becomes a little cartoonish. Hits the spot after a long day at the office. 

Rating: C

Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021)

There was a lot of smoke, but no fire. Never felt the heat from this mostly watered down thriller. An unsatisfying end didn’t help. 

Rating: C-

Chaos Walking (2020)

The Noise is rather annoying, but you get used to it. Feels like everyone on that planet has autism from the thoughts they are projecting. It's a shame the hero kid didn’t get his big smooch at the end. Lost opportunity there. 

Rating: C

Nobody (2021)

Moral of the story. Best to avoid picking fights with nobodys just in case they turn out to be somebodys. Ultra violent beat em up/shoot em up mayhem. May teeter on being unrealistic at times, but still bloody fun. 

Rating: C+

Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)

Even at four hours long, it still feels like massive amounts of backstory and plot development went missing. The film jumps from one scene to the next, glossing over plot holes and reason. It seems every devoted fanboy and girl has shut their collective brains off in fealty to Marvel, which continues to reward their devotion with one nonsensical film after the another. 

Rating: D+

Finding 'Ohana (2021)

Aimed directly at the Disney tween crowd. Instead of a few winks to Goonies, they should have included some nods as well; adding more of the fun and humor of the original masterpiece. Finding 'Ohana stretched the bounds of reality a little too far, moving the genre from adventure into brainless fantasy. 

Rating: C-

Land (2021)

A story of grief, loss, isolation, and eventually; healing. Robin Wright put herself completely into this project. It’s quite heavy, but not overly bleak. 

Rating: C+

Soul (2020)

A little of everything, like jazz. Some Freaky Friday, Heaven Can Wait, and What Dreams May Come blended together with unique animation. Surprised they didn’t tie everything together with his purpose being to inspire others by helping them find their spark, like with 22 and his music students. 

Rating: C+

Barb And Star Go To Vista Del Mar (2021)

Like an episode of SNL, it has its moments, but a lot falls flat. 

Rating: C-

Willy’s Wonderland (2021)

A muted Cage appears to feel right at home inside an evil Chuck-E-Cheese knockoff where he battles possessed animatronic characters. The humans are one dimensional at best. Their actions make little sense in the context of the film. There’s very little in the way of scares. The dark humor element was missing. The script needed a complete rewrite. 

Rating: D-

The White Tiger (2021)

A deep dive into the everyday struggles, politics, and culture of India. A strong reminder that life is hard and unfair. It’s an eye opening film with a morally suspect story. 

Rating: C+